We profess to believe that there is " a day ap- pointed of God, wherein he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained :" and that " every one of us shall stand at the judgment- seat of Christ to receive according to the things done in the body, whether they have been good or evil." Now in that day we shall not be judged by the opi- nions of men, but by the word of God. It will be no excuse to any one that such or such maxims were generally received, or that such practices were sanc- tioned by custom : there will be one standard to which every principle and every action will be referred. The sacred volume will be open before the Judge : and every erroneous sentiment be confronted with the dictates of inspiration. The Judge himself will know no other rule of judgment : every thing that accorded with the Scriptures will be approved ; and every thing that contradicted them will be condemned. To what end then is it to impose specious names on things, when they will so soon appear in their true light ? Will God call evil good, and good evil, because we have done so ? Can we convince him that light was darkness, and darkness light, because we persuaded ourselves and others that it was so ? What infatuation is it so to trifle with our eternal state ! If our error could be pleaded before God in extenuation of our fault, then indeed we might have some reason for persisting in it : but how can we excuse ourselves before him, when we had the means of information in our hands, and followed our own surmises in prefer- ence to his commands ?
Let us then remember that we are acting now for eternity ; and that in a little time every thing will appear, not as we wish it, but as it really is. And, if we think it of any importance what our condition shall be in the invisible world, let us desist from our self-deception, which, however pleasant or fashionable it may be, will most unquestionably issue in our eternal ruin.
Before I conclude, suffer me to address a word of EXHORTATION both to those xvho arc deceiving their